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Post by Rayloke on Apr 24, 2012 16:35:46 GMT 8
For people who doesnt have much time or the luxury of painting their kits, snapfit probably is the only way they could do with the kits. However, making a snapfit kit to look good require a different set of skill from the normal painted kit. One of the main challenge of snapfitted kit is the task of removing nip marks, without leaving any visible leftover mark. This is especially challenging when doing colored parts; especially blue n red, n other darker colors. One can sand under the nip mark is flat, but is during the cutting process, any damage on the plastic will leave a white spot on the plastic which is almost impossible to remove 100%. So be very careful!
Parts on runner. carefully search an angle so your cutter wont cause any damage onto the part.
Use cutter to cut the part out. Remember to cut a little further away from the part.
u can use a knife to trim the nip shorter. Warning: "slice" the nip slowly, layer by layer. Do not chop! It might cause the plastic to turn white when it's distorted by force.
My personal preference: i use a file to sand down the remaining, leaving just a tiny bit on the plastic. This is faster than using only sand paper. but dangerous part is, the file might cause scratches too deep beyond repair.
Lightly sand with file. As u can see, even i sand very light force, there r many rough scratches on the part.
Then i sand with sand paper. start with grit 800, then, 1,000 , and end by 1,200. If u want even finer touch, end with 1,500 or 2,000 grit. Because this round i will be flat coating it, so i stop at 1,200.
Compound: I use Tamiya compound: coarse. To me, this feels like sandpaper grit of 2000, 3,000.. It's just like sand paper in cream form. Use a soft microfiber cloth to compound, just like waxing your car.
End result: Of course it's not really mirror finish, but gloss enough. under micro lens of a camera, check out the original plastic glossiness of Bandai's plastic (Photo below):
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Post by Rayloke on Apr 24, 2012 16:36:58 GMT 8
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Post by drgunpla on Apr 24, 2012 16:50:14 GMT 8
Very very informative... Now i know how a up level my snapfitted kits...
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toon
Lurker
Posts: 15
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Post by toon on Apr 24, 2012 17:04:54 GMT 8
So finishing, we can also use that women nail file cum polisher, right?
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Post by Rayloke on Apr 24, 2012 20:00:03 GMT 8
Yes, also as for example Saiful's comment in FB, any stuff that can be used for polishing will do the trick.
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Post by Phoon on Apr 24, 2012 22:33:27 GMT 8
So finishing, we can also use that women nail file cum polisher, right? I like your statement bro! 'Women nail file cum polisher"! Onnzzz!!!! ;D Sorry fo high jacking your thread! Okay, back to business, Ray i think this is the most useful and informative tutorial for new members here to digest! Thumbs up for your effort!
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Post by sakuraswastika on Oct 2, 2012 4:01:49 GMT 8
Hi.. I know this is supposed to be snapfit kits, but I have few questions.. 1) After polishing, how do you do panel lines? Washing or markers? 2) Do you spray flat coat after or leave it shiny as it is? 3) How do you remove seam lines when using this method? 4) Does the stickers/dry/wet decals stick on the polished surface? 5) Last but not least, and maybe a bit out of topic, if want to spray/paint/AB, will it stick? Thanks in advance..
Sakura Swastika
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Post by sakuraswastika on Oct 11, 2012 1:23:18 GMT 8
BUMP..
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Post by banzai on Oct 11, 2012 5:54:45 GMT 8
Hi.. I know this is supposed to be snapfit kits, but I have few questions.. 1) After polishing, how do you do panel lines? Washing or markers? 2) Do you spray flat coat after or leave it shiny as it is? 3) How do you remove seam lines when using this method? 4) Does the stickers/dry/wet decals stick on the polished surface? 5) Last but not least, and maybe a bit out of topic, if want to spray/paint/AB, will it stick? Thanks in advance.. Sakura Swastika From what I've noticed the answers to your questions are really mostly a matter of personal taste, but I will attempt to give you some answers. I feel these questions really belong in the questionnaire section of the forums though. 1) Personally I like using lighter fluid to heavily thin enamel and gently dab with a loaded brush, letting the capillary action do the rest. After its sufficiently dry I clean up the excess with a zippo laced cotton bud. Others use different methods though, some like using Gundam markers and cleaning up with some eraser action, others like using different layers of washes to create subtle shifts in colour and weathering like oils stains and water marks. Its all a matter of preference and intent. Be careful if you're doing this on an already painted surface though... Make sure the thinning agent and paint you're using to panel line with doesn't strip off any underlying paint. Remember this simple sequence if you're painting - Lacquer/solvent based first, then enamel/oil based, then water based last. (I've found an exception to this rule when using Alclad, but lets not get in to that.) Oh and make sure you read the topic below. Its important. www.pla-zone.com/index.cgi?board=bm&action=display&thread=1342) This one's highly subjective. You might want to do a super shiny polished all the way with coarse/fine/finishing compound and then wax on top of that for a super glossy look, or you just might want it looking as matt as possible. Maybe you want a satin finish? Depends on the look you want. 3) After removing the any excess, the seams could be sanded and polished up the same way methinks. Just be careful you don't sand away any details. 4)From personal experience, I've always found that decals tend to adhere better to a smooth glossy surface instead of a rough/matte surface. Regardless of what I want to finish with, I like going over all parts receiving decals with a clear gloss coat to smooth out everything before application, then protecting them after with a top coating of clear flat/gloss/satin. 5) I'm unsure about this since prior to putting down any paint with an AB I usually coat with some primer first, then if necessary give the parts a very light sanding. The primer helps me spot imperfections like sink/ejection marks I might have missed, or areas that might need more cleaning up ect. It also acts as a surface for the paint to adhere to. I've experienced some kinds of paint chipping without primer. This was in my foolish youth though... Now I just prime everything before painting. Helps me sleep easier. The above is mostly through my own experiences... Others might have different experiences of their own. Hey, variety is the spice of life eh?
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Post by sakuraswastika on Oct 12, 2012 22:38:45 GMT 8
Well, ok.. Maybe, can you tell me what is the zippo laced cutton bud thing? I've tried to imagine what it is but failed.. SS
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Post by banzai on Oct 13, 2012 5:56:20 GMT 8
Zippo is just a brand of lighter fluid.
But as I said, you have to be careful, it can crack plastic if you don't take precautions.
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Post by sakuraswastika on Oct 16, 2012 9:24:30 GMT 8
Besides Zippo, can use thinner as a safer alternative? After polish, when top coat will it fog due to polish and spray chemicals mixed up?
SS
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Post by banzai on Oct 16, 2012 17:55:27 GMT 8
If you follow the simple Lacquer > Enamel > Acrylic rule you should not have issues using the different hobby thinners on painted kits. Do not EVER use paint thinner that you get from the hardware store though, that stuff will eat through plastic. I've heard of some people using the stuff successfully but I don't like to take that risk.
If you're NOT painting a kit and are afraid to crack the plastic using lighter fluid, then I can suggest using water based acrylics to panel line, thin with water mixed with a very VERY small amount of dishwashing liquid to help the flow. I do mean very small... 1 drop can go a long way. Or you could always use Gundam markers, they are also quite safe.
More importantly... TRY! Be adventurous... Don't be afraid of paint! Try on spare pieces of plastic leftover, try on an old model (this is what I do, I have an old volkswagen model I test stuff out on.) Worst case buy a cheap Bandai SD kit and try on that (they are much cheaper.) The best teacher is experience.
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Post by Rayloke on Oct 25, 2012 13:28:43 GMT 8
Thanks Banzai for the helpful tips, and sorry sakuraswastika for the late reply.
Basically Banzai has most of the answer.
Here is my 2 cents worth:
1. I always prefer inking to using any sort of marker; cleaner n sharper. As for preventing enamel thinner from making the plastic crisp n crack them, i emphasize this: Panel line inking, not washing.
Inking is just using a very small amount of paint diluted using enamel thinner. after that, where there is excess paint, usually on the spot where your brush landed, use enamel thinner or zippo(lighter) fluid to clean then. Wet the cotton bud a little with the thinner n wipe.
Washing on the other handing is a heavy painting of paint all over the plastic, then only slowly wipe them off.
2. personal preference. Why normally i use flat is because without painting, i cannot use any other material to clean any mistakes on the surface. Gloss coat magnifies any unsmooth part on a surface, while flat coat hides them.
3. Seamline is pretty much leave them as they r; afterall, this is an unpainted kit right?
Even if u use cement to join 2 plastic parts; first, it might be quite risky as even a 0.1mm part of the seamline is not joined perfectly, there is almost no turning back n redo, nor u can put any other stuff to cover it up.
Secondly, even if the seamline is being tackled perfectly by cement, for parts with colors like blue n red, due to the chemical reaction with the plastic (cement melts the plastic) the seamline might be still visible because the color changed where it's reaction with cement.
4. as Banzai mentioned, the smoother the surfacer, stickers n decals adhere better.
5. yes. Remember this. Compounding is not adding another layer of something onto the surface. Compounding is basically sanding; instead of using sanding, u use a cream like substance to sand.
So spray a layer of primer n u r good to go.
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Post by sakuraswastika on Oct 29, 2012 22:44:48 GMT 8
Ok. Thanks guys for the answers. I may follow your steps on one of the Gundams just to have it smooth and shiny. Now just have to figure out which Gundam looks nice with the shiny finish, or perhaps like what Banzai said, a Gundam with satin finish.. Good luck on the OGB guys.. SS
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Post by felipeolguera on Jun 19, 2013 15:10:30 GMT 8
Hi.. I know this is supposed to be snapfit kits, but I have few questions.. 1) After polishing, how do you do panel lines? Washing or markers? 2) Do you spray flat coat after or leave it shiny as it is? 3) How do you remove seam lines when using this method? 4) Does the stickers/dry/wet decals stick on the polished surface? 5) Last but not least, and maybe a bit out of topic, if want to spray/paint/AB, will it stick? Thanks in advance.. Sakura Swastika From what I've noticed the answers to your questions are really mostly a matter of personal taste, but I will attempt to give you some answers. I feel these questions really belong in the questionnaire section of the forums though. 1) Personally I like using lighter fluid to heavily thin enamel and gently dab with a loaded brush, letting the capillary action do the rest. After its sufficiently dry I clean up the excess with a zippo laced cotton bud. Others use different methods though, some like using Gundam markers and cleaning up with some eraser action, others like using different layers of washes to create subtle shifts in colour and weathering like oils stains and water marks. Its all a matter of preference and intent. Be careful if you're doing this on an already painted surface though... Make sure the thinning agent and paint you're using to panel line with doesn't strip off any underlying paint. Remember this simple sequence if you're painting - Lacquer/solvent based first, then enamel/oil based, then water based last. (I've found an exception to this rule when using Alclad, but lets not get in to that.) Oh and make sure you read the topic below. Its important. www.pla-zone.com/index.cgi?board=bm&action=display&thread=1342) This one's highly subjective. You might want to do a super shiny polished all the way with coarse/fine/finishing compound and then wax on top of that for a super glossy look, or you just might want it looking as matt as possible. Maybe you want a satin finish? Depends on the look you want. 3) After removing the any excess, the seams could be sanded and polished up the same way methinks. Just be careful you don't sand away any details. 4)From personal experience, I've always found that decals tend to adhere better to a smooth glossy surface instead of a rough/matte surface. Regardless of what I want to finish with, I like going over all parts receiving decals with a clear gloss coat to smooth out everything before application, then protecting them after with a top coating of clear flat/gloss/satin. 5) I'm unsure about this since prior to putting down any paint with an AB I usually coat with some primer first, then if necessary give the parts a very light sanding. The primer helps me spot imperfections like sink/ejection marks I might have missed, or areas that might need more cleaning up ect. It also acts as a surface for the paint to adhere to. I've experienced some kinds of paint chipping without primer. This was in my foolish youth though... Now I just prime everything before painting. Helps me sleep easier. The above is mostly through my own experiences... Others might have different experiences of their own. Hey, variety is the spice of life eh? 2) This one's highly subjective. You might want to do a super shiny polished all the way with coarse/fine/finishing compound and then wax on top of that for a super glossy look, or you just might want it looking as matt as possible. Maybe you want a satin finish? Depends on the look you want. -What wax should i apply after finishing compound? Thanks for this info ^_^
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Post by banzai on Jul 30, 2013 14:52:14 GMT 8
What wax? I got some modelling wax from ICS by Hasegawa recently. Yes I'm supposed to post pictures of the results for Rayloke, sorry Ray I've been so hammered at work I've not had much time to do anything except sleep. As for your question to what wax... I've heard some people have had success with very fine automotive wax, like meguiars. You could probably do a bit more reading on it. Personally, I've had a lot of success with just using tamiya compounds, but there are many other methods to get a smooth glossy finish. Some guys wet sand with increasingly finer and finer grits of sandpaper/ sanding film. (Up to like, 20,000 grit which I don't even know if you can FIND in Malaysia!) Others use polishing compound like I have done before, yet some others (mostly the car guys I've seen online) use very very fine actual car wax products. Personally I find the tamiya compounds to be VERY good but I'm always looking for new solutions. (which is why I'm planning to try the wax for my FSS Neptune project. Eventually. SORRY RAY!)
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